Anatomy of a Kiss
by momewrathsway
Summary: Takes place after Live or Die, the morning after Charlie and Claire's first kiss. So far its short and sweet, but could easily grow into something more.
1. Prequel

Prequel

Claire had felt her lips tingled long after she'd gotten up and taken Aaron to bed. She still didn't know what abnormal impulse drove her into doing such a thing. She'd only begun to forgive Charlie, and the feeling of betrayal still rung clear in her brain. She had planned to be cautious. To take it slow. But sitting so close to him, seeing the pain he was in, although he was trying hard not to show it. Something in her was simply compelled to reach out to him, to give him some sign of hope.

When her lips first torched his, she felt a tiny spark go off inside her. A blend of shock and surprise, as well as the undeniable delight that something she'd thought about for so long, even when she was trying hard not to think about it, finally happened. At first, she was worried that Charlie wouldn't react well.

After all, he'd had a rough day judging by the gash on his arm and the few on his head, plus his mild lack of hearing ability. Claire had hoped it would make him feel better, but when she kissed him and he didn't quite respond, she was terrified that she'd upset him in some way.

But once that familiar boyish grin appeared across his face, she knew she'd done no wrong. Then, as if the butterflies hadn't already been swarming in her stomach, he took her hand, innocently toying with her fingers as looked into her eyes, needing no words to express how he felt.

Parting with him had been a little awkward. Claire could sense he wanted to kiss her again, but didn't quite have the courage. Claire had been hurt before, both by him and other men in the past, and she was usually reluctant to taking gestures of affection so early in a relationship. But although this had been their first kiss, Claire felt as if she'd known him for ever, and would have gladly welcomed it.

She settled for a small hug instead, keeping space between them so that Aaron was not crushed in their embrace, adding a quick peck on his scruffy check before heading back to her tent, hiding the blush that had taken her face hostage.

She'd barely been able to sleep thinking about it, replaying the short interaction over and over in her head. She felt warm and giddy, like she was back in high school, even though her baby was sleeping close by. Even after she'd fallen asleep, the memories crept into her dreams, keeping her warm through the night.


	2. cleansing

chapter 1

She woke up to the brightest day she'd ever seen. The sun was shining over head, making thousands of sparkles dance across the waves. The sky itself was a bold light blue, full of white puffy clouds that seemed unable to block the brilliant sun light beaming down on the beach. Everything seemed to be at its peek of perfection, as if she were looking around with rose-tented glasses. Or perhaps her deliriously ecstatic mood was some how making everything around her seem beautiful in response.

But the neither the sun, the sky or the waves were as beautiful as what she sat sitting before them, squinting out into the horizon as he sat up in his sleeping matt, which was nothing more than a single blanket and a pillow. He was sitting up, leaning back on his arms for support, his wispy blonde tuffs blowing in the breeze rolling in with the waves, a contempt little smile on his face.

"Morning Claire" Rose greated, carrying a plate of freshly picked fruit in each hand. Bernard was at her side, carrying two as well. "Morning Rose. What's with all the food?" Claire questioned curiously, wondering why the couple needed four whole plates for breakfast.

"I'm glad you asked. I saw you kids sleeping in late and thought I'd bring you something to eat. Save you a walk" Rose explained friendly. Claire smiled in response, although she wasn't quite sure who the "kids" Rose was referring to were. "So, here's one for you" Rose continued, handing Claire the plate. "And here's one for Charlie" She finished, handing over the other. For a moment, Claire looked a bit bewildered. It had been a long time since the two had been associated with one another. She wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"Thank you" She replied appreciatively, careful not to drop the plates in her mildly confused state. "Don't worry about it, sweet heart." Rose assured in her classic cheerfully voice. The two started to walk off, but Rose stopped for an instant, turning around to address Claire once more.

"Oh, and Claire" She began, making the short walk back over. "Yes?" Claire replied, having set down the two plates to pick Aaron, who had just woken up, from his crib. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to watch Aaron for a while. Give you two some time to catch up" She offered, although it seemed more like a demand then a request. Was she being set up?

Claire rocked Aaron for a moment, not sure about giving him up. But when her eyes trailed across the island and she once again caught a glimpse of Charlie as he basked in the sun, she couldn't resist handing him over.

"Thank you, dear. It's been a while me and my little buddy spent some time together" Rose explained, looking down at the baby in her arms who was staring back at her with an almost blank expression, to early for him to really tell what was going on.

"His diapers and bottle are in the bag by his crib" Claire explained, her motherly instincts kicking in a bit as she readjusted the blanket around his face. "I'll take good care of him. You just worry about taking good care of your other boy" Rose insisted, giving a half glance in the direction Charlie was in. Claire felt her face grow warm at the implication.

"I'll try" Claire replied with a nod, bubbling with embarrassment. With that, she picked up her two plates and marched off to the place where Charlie sat.

"Morning" She greeted, flashing him a brilliant smile as she took a seat on the blankets beside him. Charlie's face light up at the sight of her, the excitement showing on his face. "I brought you some breakfast" she explained, handing him the plate. "Aw, you didn't have to do that" He replied, although Claire could tell he didn't mean it from the way instantly dug in. Claire couldn't help but giggle in amusement as she watched him bite into a slice of orange as if it was the first thing he'd eaten in weeks.

He looked up, mildly embarrassed once he realized what she was laughing about, and shyly wiped the juice on his lips off with the back of his hand. Claire once again got a good look at the scrape on his arm, caked with dried blood and full of dust and dirt, just begging for an infection.

"Charlie!" Claire scolded, taking hold of his arm to get a closer inspection of the wound. "What? Its fine" He assured, furrowing his eye brows. "Its not fine, Charlie. Your covered in dirt. You need to clean it" She insisted, sounding a bit to much like Jack as she continued studying the contaminated wound.

Charlie frowned, knowing she was right. Another sigh escaped her lips as her eyes fell on his face, letting his arm drop and leaning closer to inspect the series of tiny scars along his forehead. She had to place her hand under his bangs, holding his hair out of the way in order to inspect them. The closeness sent memories of last night bursting through his mind, and he tried hard not to let it show in his face.

"I don't understand how you managed to get this dirty" Claire noted in a motherly tone, running her thumb over one of the larger cuts, watching Charlie flinch in response. "Hurry up in finish eating. You need a bath" She confirmed, turning her attention to the food on her own plate.

"I would, but the shower in the hatch isn't exactly usable" Charlie explained, trying to work his way out of it. "You leave that part to me. Just hurry up and finish eating" Claire instructed, leaving little room for him to argue. Sighing in defeat, Charlie looked down at his plate for a moment before he started shoving food down his mouth.

Later...

Charlie sat at the designated spot he was told to go by Claire, who had wondered off without telling him where he was going and told him to wait. So, doing as he was told, Charlie waited patiently, sitting on the rocks that lined the edge of the shore in this very, very secluded part of the beach. If Claire were a male, or possibly Kate, Charlie might have worried that she'd brought him out here to kill him, and was just going back to get the gun.

But moments later, Claire returned, sunny as ever, Carrying a big bowl of water on her hip and a wash cloth tossed over her shoulder. Charlie eyed her curiously as she approached, not quite comprehending what she planned to do.

"What, are you just gonna dump that on my head?" He questioned sarcastically, although it would get the job done. "Not quite" Claire replied, laughing softy as she knelt down in front of him, placing the bowl on the sandy ground.

Charlie looked a bit uncomfortable, her closeness to him as she sat on her knees in front of him making him a bit uncomfortable. "Let me see your arm" She instructed, indicating to the one that had been damaged the night before in the hatch. Charlie placed his hand on the back of his neck, so his injured elbow poked out, giving Claire full access.

She dipped the rag gently into the bowl of water, wetting the tip before gently pressing it against the gash, the chilly water burning his skin. Charlie hissed through his teeth, feeling the sting as the water cleansed the wound. "Sorry" Claire replied apologetically, frowning as she continued to dab the rag against his cut, removing the bits of dirt that had buried themselves inside, along with the layer of dried blood.

She continued to make faces of disgust as she studied the wound, able to take in its full size now that all the access filth had been washed away. It was much deeper then she had suspected, a lot wider too. Charlie took notice to the look on her face, worried the blood might be a bit to much for her.

"I can finish it, if you want" He offered, night wanting hurt to get sick or faint at the fault of his gruesome gash. "No, I'm fine" She assured, "I'm just worried you might need stitches" she explained, a bewildered look on her face as she continued to examine his elbow.

"I doubt it" He replied with a casual shrug, the thought of stitches terrifying him slightly. "Make sure you let Jack take a look at it when he comes back, just in case" Claire insisted, and Charlie was in no place to argue, so she continued her cleaning. The tip of the rag she was using had grown stained brown and red, and she had to dip it back in her bowel of crystal clear water in order to cleanse it before placing it back on his skin.

She continued to dab it against his skin. Now that the dirt had washed away, the pain ceased, and the coolness of the water began to feel good against his hot skin. A smile crossed his face as the idea of his burning wound faded and the realization that Claire was touching him emerged, sending a chill up his arm.

Claire took notice to the look on his face, drawing her eyes away from the cut to study his expression in stead, feeling herself blush at the way he was looking at her. It wasn't just a simple stare that she'd receive from guys in the past. He looked as if he were in aw. Admiring her every feature, lovingly taking her in.

"Do you have any other big cuts I don't know about?" She questioned, trying to find her breath as she lowered the rag back to the bowl. "No" Charlie shook his head, lieing in hopes that he wouldn't have to go through any more pain. Claire raised her eye brow, giving him a skeptic look.

"Your a bad liar" She confirmed, seeing through him just as she could with the water in her bowl. Charlie bit his lower lip, knowing he'd been caught. "Stand up" She instructed, rising to her feet as well. Charlie did as he was told, hopping to his feet almost the same time as her.

"Take off your shirt" She ordered next, without missing a beat. Charlie shoot her a confused look, trying to decipher rather or not she was being serious. "Well?" She questioned impenitently, giving him an insistent look as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Right" Charlie nodded, pushing his insecurities aside and lifting the suited T-shirt over his head. Claire looked over his torso, detecting a few little scrapes and scratch's, the biggest being on his abdomen, just below his belly button and a little off to the left.

"Charlie!" Claire gasped in shock, wondering how he could so easily say he was fine with all these injuries. "Sorry" He replied quickly, knowing he was being scolded. "Sit down" Claire sighed, shaking her head as she returned to her spot, once again kneeling before him. She retrieved the rag from the bowl of water once again began dabbing it against his skin gently, starting at his chest where a thin red scratch stretched across his collar bone.

Charlie took in a gulp, feeling only a tiny burn. His discomfort was no longer from pain, but from the complete awareness of her being so close. He could feel her breath against his skin when ever she let out a heavy breath, usually huffing at the unsanitary condition of his wounds. The water from the rag chilled his skin, a few drops racing down his are chest, his muscles flexing instinctively in response to the sudden cold.

Claire took notice to the movement and tried not to pay attention, holding back the sudden urge to stop what she was doing and touch him, feeling them ripple against her hands instead of the icy drops of water rolling down his skin. She sighed once more, shaking the thought from her head as she moved down to a lower cut, a tiny scratch at the top of his peck, barely big enough to worry about.

She continued downward, forcing Charlie to lean back as she moved on to the much larger gash along his abdomen, wetting the rag once again before pressing it to his stomach. Charlie took in a sharp breath and squeezed his eyes shut, this time from pain.

Claire pulled the rag away instinctively, sensing his pain and feeling instantly guilty. "Sorry" she replied once again, hesitating to return to cleaning the spot. "No, its ok" He assured breathlessly, swallowing down the pain. Claire knew he was faking it, but she also knew it had to be done sooner or later and now would be the best time to get it over with.

Take a deep breath, Claire replaced the rag to his skin, holding it against the open wound until the edges were clean. The question of how obtained so many injuries still burned in her mind, but she thought it would be rude to question him further.

Charlie forced himself to look up, trying to focus on anything but Claire's hand pressed against his abdomen with nothing between them but a thin wet rag who's water was rolling fast down his skin, making its way past the waistline of his jeans and sending chills to a place that was defiantly needing something to cool it down. He took a heavy breath, trying to keep himself calm despite his racing pulse and pounding heart.

Claire looked up at him, taking notice to his uncomfortable behavior as he deliberately looked up too the sky, his chest rising and falling at an irregular rate. She lifted his hand to her cheek, her icy fingers cold from holding rag. Charlie lowered his head so that his eyes meet with her, the dark swirls of deep blue startling her with their intensity. Despite his efforts to hide his feelings, to conceal the longing he felt for her, it showed in his eyes clear as day.

Claire lifted the rag to his face and pressed it gently against the cut on his chick which had been their since before last night. It was the one Locke had given him when he punched Charlie, a scare indirectly caused by her. Claire felt a pinch of guilt, wondering how she ever could have judged him so harshly with all the kindness he'd shown her.

Why couldn't she have just looked him in the eye a long time ago and instead of making accusations where he was practically forced to lie in order to make himself look better. Why couldn't she have just looked into those deep dark pools and seen the truth, that he loved her far to much to hurt her.

She felt something wash over her, the feeling you get right before your about to cry. Her hand shook as she raised it to his forehead, brushing his bangs out of the way before pressing the rag to his forehead, its icy chill rushing to his brain. Charlie didn't close his eyes or look away. He was staring at her, watching her every move with an intense alertness.

He could see the sadness in her eyes as she continued to wash his head, and apologetic look clear in her face. He could see her lower lip trembling and new she was on the verge of tears, her eyes sparkling with the moisture building up inside them. Then, before he could tell what was going on, her eyes snapped shut. Tears beading under her thick lashes as they pressed against her chicks, leaning forward in desperation as she crushed her lips pedal-soft lips against his.

Charlie pressed back against them, feeling not only the softness of her smooth, plump lips, but the emotion behind them. Their was guilt-ridden air to her kiss, as if it was her way of showing her remorse for making him so miserable. Charlie depend the kiss, throwing the cautions he had about taking to much advantage of the kindness she was showing him away and moving his lips intimately with hers.

Her hands wrapped gently around his neck, the sudden nip of her ice cold hands against his burning skin sending a chill down his spine. Charlie tucked his hands under her arms, lifting her up off her knees and onto his lap in one swift motion, quickly replacing his lips to hers in an even more passionate kiss then the one before.

Claire held on to his face, his scratchy beard pricking against the soft palm of her hand. Usually, Claire wasn't attracted to facial hair other then the occasional light stubble, but for some reason with Charlie, it seemed to improve the intimacy, making the kiss seem more tangible, more real. So that when they kissed, she knew she wasn't just dreaming. It was real as the sand on her feet, the waves on the shore, the sky above or the rock beneath them.

There was no denying it was real, just like there was no denying that she loved him. No matter what he did in the past, no matter what had happened to her, she loved him. More then she was ok with admitting to herself or to him. But luckily, she didn't actually have to say it. She could say she was sorry and he could say he forgave her. She could say she loved him and he could say he loved her back, all without a single world. That's the magic of a kiss. When meaningful, it really could say a thousand things. Claire had never felt something as meaningful as this.

And as he held her in his arms, carrying on their wordless conversation as the waves crashed against the shore, Claire felt as if the world was once again safe. She didn't have to worry about Aaron being sick or kid napped. She didn't have to worry about being attacked by the others or her friends running off into the jungle to their death. She didn't have to worry about being trapped on an island for the rest of her life because it was the best thing that ever happened to her. She was in Charlie's arms, on Charlie's lap, kissing Charlie's lips, and everything, everything was beautiful.

The End

Hey everyone, I know I haven't written in a while but I'm back now and probably will be for most of the summer if not longer. Hope you enjoyed the fic. I think its a good idea but I'm not sure if I should add on or just let it end here. If you'd like to see the story contenue or if you have any idea's, please let me know what you think.


	3. Confession

TheLovelyNatalieRose: Thanks for the ideas! Its really nice to have readers who can actually give there opinions, it helps me know what they are looking for in a story. after all, if I didn't want to please the readers, I wouldn't take the time to post my stories. I like the idea of him telling Claire about him beating his drug habit, and it is going to make for a very sweet chapter.

Alabelle: Hey, thanks for the input and glade you liked the story. Hope to hear more from you soon.

Confession

"Its about time those two got over that silly little fight" Rose noted, looking off in the distance from her tent to where Charlie and Claire sat by the campfire, flirting playfully.

"I wouldn't _necessarily_ call it silly, Rose. After all, the boy was doing drugs and he tried to steal her baby. Twice" Bernard reminded skeptically, looking at his wife as if she'd lost her mind.

"Oh, please, Bernard. We all know that boy wasn't doing any drugs. Claire was just upset" Rose confirmed, rolling her eyes at her husbands lame attempt at arguing with her.

"Besides, look at them. Do you see a junkie?" She questioned, turning her attention from the baby in her arms to look back across the sand at the flirtatious pair.

"No" Bernard replied simply, looking in the same direction over his shoulder. "I didn't think so. Face it, Bernard. Those kids are meant to be together" Rose concluded, looking back down at the gurgling baby as he reached his chubby arms up in the air, trying to grab one of her ear rings.

"If you say so, dear" Bernard agreed with a sigh, finding no use in fighting her on it.

meanwhile...

The fire burned close by, its gentle crackling serving as the instrumental in the background of Charlie and Claire's conversation. It had been so long since they'd spoken anything more then a hello, Charlie out of desperation and Claire out of both politeness or her inability to fully ignore him, hard as she'd tried. But now it seemed as if nothing had happened. They were a pair again.

Charlie had just told one of his cheesy jokes, and Claire's harmonious laugh rang out like a flute, probably over reacting to the only mildly humorous joke to her heightened mood.

She felt giddy, hyper, bursting with energy. Charlie smiled, ecstatic at his ability to make her laugh once again. It was only after the angelic sound had faded and her smile of amassment turned to one of shy embarrassment, did Charlie realize he'd been staring.

Feeling a bit red himself, Charlie looked down at his lap, unable to hide his own nervous grin. He felt Claire's hand against his forehead, toying with a piece of hair that had been sticking up. He looked up at her out of the corner of his eye, appreciating the caring look on her face as she smoothed the wild strands back down.

"You know, Claire. As much as I enjoy you grooming me, I think I've had enough for one day. After all, if you keep making me look all clean and pretty, its gonna be a lot harder for me to keep the rest of the ladies on the island away" Charlie noted jokingly, moving her hand away from the side of his head and holding it with both his hands, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles once he'd stopped speaking.

"Are you trying to make me jealous?" Claire questioned impishly, raising an eye brow at him as she leaned forward, laying her other hand on top of his and running her finger across his knuckles.

"Is it working?" He asked in reply, an hopefully grin on his face. Claire giggled again and gave him a playfully smack on the head.

"Ow" Charlie found in response, freeing one of his hands and holding the back of his head. Claire hadn't hit him hard enough to hurt him, but the spot her hand had come in contact with was a bit bruised, and the light impact had sent a sharp pain through his skull.

"Charlie.." Claire gasped, removing his hand to inspect the area of his head he'd been holding.

"I'm fine" He assured, although by now the words had lost meaning. Claire's motherly instincts were raging, and if she thought he was hurt, she was going to take care of him. Not that he minded.

"Well, there's no blood, and I can't feel any bumps" She explained, her finger tips filtering through his hair, making his scalp tingle with their touch.

"That's good, right?" He questioned, not knowing much about injuries or how to care for them. "It means you may have a concussion" She explained, flatly, giving him a disappointed look.

"Ok...what do I do about it?" Charlie questioned, trying to do his best to reassure Claire that he was concerned for his own safety, as well as her's and Aaron's. Claire smiled, seeming pleased with his response. She tilted her eyes upward in through, her hands still holding onto his as she tucked them under her chin.

"Well, there's not much we can do about it. You just have to be carefully when you go to sleep" She explained, trying to remember the way her mother hand handled the situation years ago when Claire had gotten a concussion from falling off her bike. Charlie gave her a confused look.

"No offense, luv. But its gonna be a bit difficult for me to keep an eye on myself if I'm unconscious" Charlie noted, not quite understanding what Claire was trying to say.

"I know, that's why I'm going to keep an eye on you" She explained simply, although it was more like a demand then a suggestion. "Oh, Claire. You don't have to do that-" Charlie replied, not wanting her to lose any sleep over his silly bruises. The look on her face shifted quickly, once again turning to a look of regret.

"Yes. I do" Claire assured, her voice far more serious then the situation called for. He sense that she wasn't really talking about her concern towards bump on his head, but that this was another way she could make things up to him. Charlie sighed.

He wanted to tell her she didn't owe him anything. That she had every right to be angry and the fact that she was being so forgiving made him feel unworthy. He wished he could go back in time, skip all the drugs and the girls and all the other bad things he did so that he would be able to feel as if he actually deserved her.

"Ok" He agreed softly, his longing to feel back at home near her tent overwhelming his wishes to relieve her of her guilt. Claire smiled in accomplishment, glad to see him cooperate.

Later...

Charlie had made up his bed only a few feet from Claire's, close enough so that if he started having seizures or what ever it is that she was worried would happen, he wouldn't be far, but also enough so that they had their distance, knowing it was way to early for them to start sleeping side by side after just two kisses.

After all, this was Claire, not some groupy. If he was going to make her want him, he was going to do it right. No matter how long it was going to take.

Claire returned with Aaron in her arms, his little body already heavy with sleep. His eyes lightly shut as his tiny fist clung to her shirt. Charlie smiled, the urge to hold him over whelming.

But he kept it at bay, knowing the little guy was tired and ready for sleep. So instead, he scooted over to the crib, watching as Claire laid him onto his back, a yawn emerging from his little mouth, bringing a smile to both their faces.

"Night, buddy" Charlie spoke softly, running his hand over the top of Aaron's head to smooth down his fluffy blonde curls.

Aaron's eye lids opened half way, looking up at Charlie with big blue eyes that filled with excitement as he recognized the familiar face, a sleepy grin washing over his face. Claire smiled as she watched the two, remembering how well Charlie took care of him. How much he loved him.

After a moment, Aaron's eyes fell shut again and he was soon fast asleep. Charlie continued to stare at him long after he'd drifted off, the love in his eyes as he stared down at her baby making feel all the more sorry for the way she had treated him.

Feeling tears form, Claire turned away, pretending to fold down her blanket so that she could slip into the mat where she'd be sleeping.

Charlie took this as a hint that it was time for bed, and made his way back to his own. He laid on top of the comforter which served as his mattress, resting his head back against his crummy pillow before turning it to one side, watching as Claire got her self ready for bed.

She sat on her mat, the lit torch near by catching the outline of her hair, making it glow as she shifted in the dim light, trying to pull off her constrictive jeans beneath the thin blanket.

She managed to find her way out of them and kicked them off, not worrying about putting them away.

Once comfortable, She settled down against her pillow, rolling onto her side so that the two were face to face. Claire smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed after being startled when she turned to find his eyes on her.

"Good night, Charlie" She said softly, hugging her fluffy white pillow. "Good night" He replied with a sleep grin before rolling back onto his back, knowing that if he stayed that way he wouldn't be able to stop staring at her, which would probably make sleep a bit difficult on her part.

He let out a gentle sigh, not of aggravation or anger, but a happy one. One he could release with a smile as he looked up at the dark blue sky sparkling with thousands of stars, not a single cloud in sight. It was a clear night, for sure.

One accompanied by a gentle breeze rolling in with the waves, the air crisp and smelling a bit like snow. It wasn't a smell he'd noticed before, seeing that the sent of snow was pretty rare on a tropical island. But the frosty smell reminded him of his home, where the air was always cold and usual coated with that same icy aroma.

He let himself relax, lifting his head and tucking both hands behind it, his elbow stinging slightly with the movement. But the little pain soon dissolved, and he could rest comfortably as the breeze blowed through his hair, cooling his skin with its chilled sea air.

Listening to the waves as they crashed against the shore. He'd been so loss in the tranquil atmosphere around him that he hadn't noticed Claire slip out of her matt or move the short distance between them until he felt her hand against his chest.

The feeling startled him slightly, the sudden warmth and gently pressure of her palm luring him out of his daze. But before he had time to react, Claire snuggled up against him, her head resting on his chest, eyes closed as if she were already asleep. He could feel the warmth form her body rolling onto his, making him feel as if he were going to melt in her embrace.

He lowered one arm, wrapping it around her so that his hand rested on her bare shoulder, feeling the softness of her skin as he gently ran his thumb back and forth soothingly. Claire smiled, nuzzling her cheek against his chest, feeling the cotton of his plain white shirt against her skin, enjoying its softness as well as the fresh, clean smell that was filling her nose.

His hand slid off her shoulder and moved to her back, rubbing it gently, moving his hand in small, soothing circles. Claire gave an appreciative murmur, one she was barely aware of making in her half-asleep state.

"Claire?" He spoke up softly, half worried he would annoy her by talking while she was trying to sleep.

"Hm?" She questioned, sounding half asleep. Charlie hesitated, wondering if he should continue or just let it wait. Oh well, he'd already woken her up, he might as well finished what he'd started.

"I...I just wanted you to know. About...about the drugs. I quit" He explained, his words coming out in frantic, uneven patterns due to his sudden overwhelming nerves.

Claire looked up at him, now fully awake, sobered by the seriousness in his voice. She propped herself up on one elbow, looking down at his face as she waited for him to continue.

"A long time ago. Before you'd been kid napped. Before you and I had really even become good friends. I'd had a little stash with me from the plain and I threw it into the fire" He explained, his voice shaking with unexpected sadness that had arose to accompany his nerves.

Claire listened attentively, still feeling a brush of anger when he spoke about the drugs. It didn't make since to here.

All the people she'd known in her life who did drugs had been idiots. Ignorant fools who loved nothing but sex and partying. Not caring who they hurt on their was as long as they were having a good time. Thinking only about themselves.

Charlie was the exact opposite of them. He cared about her and Aaron far more then he cared about himself. If the opportunity arose, Claire was sure he would give his life for them. So how, then, could someone as good as him do something so stupid as to get hooked on drugs?

"Then later, when me and Sayid were in the words, he showed me a plain that had crashed. A plain full of statues of the virgin marry, which just so happened to be filled with heroine" He continued, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempting. I'd been hooked for a long time. Cravings like that don't just disappear." He added, feeling his heart grow tight in his chest, as if it were being squeezed by some unseen hand, making his veins twitch in response.

"But...I never did it" He confirmed, his voice suddenly crystal clear. Claire stared down at him, hearing the ring of honestly in his voice, knowing now without a doubt that he wasn't lying. Wondering why she hadn't believed him before.

"I wanted to. It wasn't something that was easy to fight. But I did fight it, Claire. When I was on drugs, I hated my self. I was moody, I was depressed, and I hurt a lot of people. I didn't want to be that guy any more, and I defiantly did not want to hurt you." He explained, his eyes sparkling with oncoming tears. He tried to hold them back, but it was no use.

He continued to look at her, making no attempt to blink them away. He wanted her to look into his eyes, to see that he was telling the truth.

"How did you get hooked?" She questioned curiously, her voice soft and sincere as she stared down at him, gently moving his bangs out of his face with her finger tips. At first, Charlie was surprised by the question. But if she asked, it meant she wanted to know, and at this point, he could deny her nothing.

"It started with my brother. He was really into parties and some dumb bird got him hooked" Charlie began, the memory all to fresh in his mind. "I'd tried to talk him out of it, but every time I brought it up he'd get defensive. It would always end in a argument. We'd been having trouble getting along then any ways. He used to take care of me, you know? Like a big brother. But then, for some reason, he just stopped. I guess the fame got to his head" he continued, feeling as if he were talking to himself.

"I missed it. The way we used to be friends. I would have done anything to have my brother back. So I did it. I took the drugs, thinking it would make him want me again. Thinking that if I was more like him, he'd appreciate me. After all, no one needs a little brother telling them what to do all the time." He sounded distant, reliving the memory in his head with a vivid familiarity.

"Did it work?" Claire questioned, finding a peculiar sadness in her own voice. His story was starting to effect her emotions as well.

"For a little while. We started hanging out again, getting along. For a while everything was great." Charlie replied, a mild smile crossing his face.

"But Liam started to get worse, especially after Karen got pregnant. The band wasn't making any more money and Liam used all his on the drugs. I tried to help him but he never listened. Him and Karen would fight, and he'd take it all out on me. Then, Karen had her baby and he finally got some since. He got moved to Australia, got clean. Got a nice little suburban house with his beautiful wife and his adorable baby girl. And I was alone." he finished, another wave of tears rolling down his checks.

Claire couldn't bare seeing him like this. She could hear the pain in her voice, and she felt it in the pit of her chest, as if it were her own. Claire gathered him up in her arms, holding his head against her shoulder as he pulled his arms around her, letting his emotions run free.

He'd never told any one about it. After all, he never had anyone close enough to him to tell. It felt good to finally get it all out, as if a great weight had been lifted off his chest.

The tightness slowly faded and his eyes began to dry up, the feel of Claire's fingers combing through his hair and gently tracing circles along his back helping to calm him back down.

She placed a kiss on top of his head as tears beaded at the corner of her own eyes, ready to over flow. After another moment or so, Charlie lifted his head, his dark blue eyes shimmering as he looked at her, feeling a bit embarrassed for breaking down like that.

But Claire smiled comfortingly and ran her fingers along the side of his face, her thumb caressing his check. Charlie smiled through his tears, her tenderness once again making him feel good. As if nothing in the world could go wrong as long as he was with her. As if by habit, she leaned in, placing a soft peck on his lips before pulling back, keeping her hand in place.

"You should get some sleep" She suggested, biting her lower lip to keep from letting her smile get any larger.

"Good idea" Charlie agreed in a whisper, his voice a bit hoarse after crying.

He laid back down against the pillows, holding her close as she retook the position she'd been in before, her head on her chest and her arm stretched across his stomach, his arm around her shoulder. Only this time, she was up a bit higher, and instead of resting her head against his peck, her face was nestled against the curve of his neck.

Charlie turned his head to the side, placing a firm kiss on her forehead as he gently moved the hair out of her face. "G'd night, luv" He whispered, his breath falling lightly against her skin. "Night, Charlie" she murmured in reply, letting her eyes fall shut once again.

The End


	4. Charlie

Lauren the Oxymoron: Hey! I'm glad to hear from you too. It seems like for ever since I've written anything. I've been really damn busy and hadn't had the time to work on any stories. But, I'm back now and I have a lot of idea's built up for this story. I'm glad you like it and hope to hear more from you as it continues. Oh, and enderingness is totally a word, and there will be a lot more of it to come, along with some well-needed drama to keep this story going.

Alebelle: Glad you liked it. I thought it was pretty sweet. I'll try to keep up the good work.

**Charlie**

The sun had barely come up when Claire awoke, hearing the sound of rushing foot steps fill her ears. She sat up, startled by the noise, looking around through half shut eyes as a series of shadows moved past her tent, making plenty of noise as they went.

"Charlie" She whispered, nudging turning her attention to him. The sounds outside her tent starting to worry her. Charlie didn't respond, remaining perfectly asleep in his unconscious state. She shook his shoulder, trying to draw him out of his sleep, but still he remained stiff as a rock, only jerking slightly in response to her gentle shaking. She nudged him harder, begging to hear more sounds from out side. Some shuffling, a thud and a grunt, as if someone had fallen only a few feet away.

"Charlie!" She hissed instantly, shaking him violently. But still, he remained limp. Then, it dawned on her. She was supposed to be monitoring him for symptoms of a concussion. Now he wasn't waking up, despite her harsh efforts. Panic rushed through her veins as she shook him again, begging for him to wake up. His eyes rolled open slightly, a slight moan escaping his lips.

"Charlie, wake up" Claire insisted, running her hand along his face. He let out another little cry, squeezing his eyes shut as he flinched in response to the pain in his head. Claire frowned. She hated seeing him in pain. But the noises out side had gotten louder, and the thought of the others making another attack was all to vivid in her mind.

Another rush of foot steps and a wave of shadows rushed past, this time from to right side of her tent, moving across the front of her tent instead of the left side like before. The people who were moving now were from their camp, probably rushing to investigate the disturbance.

"What's going on?" Charlie murmured, holding his hand to the back of his head. "I don't know" Claire replied, glancing at the wall over her shoulder. Watching the shadows dance across the tarp as distorted voice began to emerge from outside. Charlie sat up, his instinct to protect Claire over powering his headache. But when he sat up, another burst of pain rushed through his scull, shaking another cry from his lips.

"Charlie-" Claire sighed, worriedly, placing her hand to the back of his head. "No, I'm fine" He assured, taking her hand in his and taking deep breaths, trying to make the pain go away. Claire watched him with a look of worry, knowing that the sudden headaches were not a good sign.

The noises from out side had woken Aaron, and he was now starting to fuss. Claire turned her attention towards the crib and gathered him up into her arms, the shrill cries making Charlie's head throb. He rested his head in his hands, trying hard to make the pain go away. Another cry erupted, this time coming from neither Charlie or the baby. It came from out side.

"Charlie-" Claire began, shooting a worried look in the direction of the sound. "Come on. Lets go see what's going on" He instructed, pushing himself to his feet, putting the pain in his head aside. The sudden change in altitude made him a bit dizzy, the tent seeming to swirl before his eyes. He shook his head and blinked a few times, and soon it readjusted. Once he'd snapped out of it, he held out his hand, heeling Claire up.

The two emerged from Claire's tent, heading towards the crowd that had formed near by. Charlie felt off balance, his legs wobbling unsteady, as if he were walking on the deck of a boat during a storm. His head continued to pound, the loud thunder in his ears sounding as if there was a metal wall somewhere inside his brain, much like the one in the hatch, and someone was on the other side, kicking it repeatedly in order to break it down. He felt dizzy, everything going in and out of focus. Another sharp pain and he felt his knees go weak, no longer able to see.

Claire didn't take notice to the peculiar way he was walking, she was to focused on the crowd that had gathered by her tent, curious to know what was going on.

She squeezed her way through, staring in confusion as she say Echo in a sitting position on the sand, his legs stretched out before him as if he'd fallen. Locke and Desmond knelt on either side of him, trying to help him up. The whisperers erupted around her.

_What happened? Is he ok? What happened to the hatch? _

Annoyed by the sound, Aaron began to cry louder, and Claire began bouncing him gently in hopes to calm him down.

"Echo, come on. Wake up. We're almost thre" Locke instructed, trying to draw him back to consciousness. Echo's eyes rolled around in his head a bit before they managed to focus on Locke.

Once he'd snapped out of it, the two men were able to help him to his feet and carry him over to one of the tents. Claire turned to Charlie, surprised to find that he was no longer at her side.

"Charlie?" She questioned, looking around curiously. He wasn't with the rest of the crowd. She spun around, looking back in the direction they'd came, spotting his body stretched across the sand. He laid on his back, his body jerking now and then, but for the most part he laid still.

"Charlie!" Claire yelled, panic throbbing in her veins her once again as she ran to the area where he laid, dropping to her knees at his side. A small portion of the crowd fallowed her over, their concern turning from one unconscious man to another. Claire shifted Aaron so that she could hold him in one arm, laying the other against Charlie's chest, not sure what to do.

Her heart was racing, fear flooding all of her senses, making it hard to concentrate. "Get back" Bernard instructed to the group that was now crowded around them, kneeling down on the opposite side of Claire. She watched as Bernard gently tapped his check, trying to wake him up.

When that didn't work, he tilted Charlie's head side ways, as if to examine it, a harsh look of concern crossing his face when he noticed the dark stream of blood leaking from his ears. Claire gasped, her eyes wide as she caught sight of the blood.

"Clam down" Bernard instructed, reading her reaction with ease. "Where's Jack?" Claire questioned frantically, her mind over flowing with negative thoughts that were polluting her brain, making it impossible to take his advice and relax.

"Claire, please. Just give me a sec" Bernard asked patently, trying to assure her that everything would be find. Claire nodded and silenced her worries, letting them roll down her cheeks instead of off her tongue.

"Charlie.." Bernard began, leaning in close to his ear as he spoke, holding Charlie's head on his lap so that it was elevated form the rest of his body. "Charlie, can you hear me?" He tried again, his words firm and persistent. Still, no response. "Here. You try" He then instructed, lifting his head and waving Claire over. He took the baby from her arms and Claire did her best to copy his attempt, holding Charlie's head on her lap and leaning down, whispering into his ear.

"Charlie. Can you hear me?" Claire questioned softly, her angelic Australian accent ringing through his ears. Charlie's eyes opened about half way, his eye lashes fluttering as he tried his hardest to look up at her.

She smiled, relieved to know that he wasn't completely unconscious. He tried to sit up, confused by what was going on. He didn't know how he ended up on the ground or why everyone was suddenly crowding around him.

He just knew that his head hurt like hell, and everything sounded really, really strange. It was like he was in a giant cave, and everything was echoing. Everything except Claire's voice. That came out crystal clear.

"Claire-" He muttered, his voice dripping with fear as he lifted his hand, trying to push himself up. "Shh.." She coed, taking his hand in hers and smoothing back his hair.

"Don't worry, hun. Your gonna be ok" She assured, forcing a smile although she had no clue rather the words she spoke were actually true. He flicked her eyes up towards Bernard, trying to figure out what to do next.

"Charlie, we're gonna take you back to Claire's tent, alright?" Bernard explained, but his words were to blurry for him to understand. Not only did his voice blend in with all the other voices around him, their whispering buzzing in his ears like a thousand flies.

But his words simply didn't come out right. His hearing was fucking up again, and to him, Bernard's words sounded something like a broken record, skipping and repeating along with a lot of static.Charlie didn't respond verbally, instead he flinched, the noise making his head ache worse.

"Charlie, were gonna take you back to my tent" Claire explained, starting to catch on. Charlie nodded, still feeling the throbbing webbing out through his brain.

Bernard waved another one of the male castaways over and the two lifted him up and moved him back to Claire's tent with ease, after all, Charlie wasn't all that heavy. If it were Locke or Echo they probably would have only needed one man to carry him.

Claire fallowed them inside and laid Aaron in his crib. He'd stopped crying once the commotion died down, and Claire was relieved to keep them both in the same room now that his high-pitched screams would not worsen Charlie's pain.

Rose brought Claire and Ice pack and she held it against the side of his head, trying to use the ice to chill his headache away and help him relax. Charlie was in and out of sleep, his eyes opening every now and then to look up at her, not really seeming to know what was going on every time it happened.

"Claire?" he muttered, his own words pounding in his head as he toyed with a strand of hair that had fallen over her shoulder. Claire smiled to show she was listening.

"I love you"

And with that, his eyes fell shut again, the pain to much for him to bare. It was good timing on his part, because he didn't have to see the burst of tears that came streaming down Claire's face after he spoke those words.


	5. Caution

TheLovelyNatalieRose: I'm glad you liked it. Your idea really helped me keep the plot going, which is good because I wanted this fic to last a lot longer, especially now that I've added in some drama. Other wise it would just be them kissing over and over again, which isn't horrible, but it would get boring after a while. I will confirm that Charlie is defiantly not dead. I usually only write things that I would like to see happen on the show, and since I would be pretty upset if Charlie ever died, I wouldn't make it happen in one of my stories. So he will be all right, and there will be much more romance between him and Claire to come. Thanks for the review, I hope to hear more from you soon.

beautiful.sweet.angel.23: Thanks! I plan to write much more.

CindyCurl: Don't worry, I could never let Charlie die.

Sawyerslover: I updated really soon! Practically right after your reply. Glad you liked the story and thank you very much for adding me to your favorites.

Ernil i Pheriannath: Incase you couldn't tell, Charlie's my favorite too.

Caution

"What happened?"

Claire's voice rung out through the tent where Locke, Desmond and Echo remained. The two turned to her abruptly, Echo unable to hear the sound of her voice in his unconscious stare.

"Not now, Claire. Well explained everything in the morning. Right now we have to take care of Echo" Locke explained calmly, his voice firm and insistent. Claire scowled, her aggravation with him combining with her ever growing fear for Charlie's life.

"No. You'll explained now" She insisted, her voice a low growl, her eyes burring to prove she was serious. It was not a look anyone had seen on Claire before, and the anger showing so clearly in her face made even Locke a little nervous.

"Claire, what's going on?" He questioned, not yet ready to tell the truth. Because the truth was that, all this, was his fault, and he wasn't ready to admit it.

"Charlie's hurt. He has some kind of concussion. I need to know what happened" Claire explained, her vicious facade crumbled and her emotions broke through the cracks, tears once again pulling at the corner of her eyes.Locke gave her a confused look.

"Since when do you care about Charlie?" He questioned, raising an eye brow her. That brought the rage roaring back. The urge to tackle him surfaced inside her, but she forced it back down, determined to get answers.

"Just tell me what happened" She demanded, swallowing her anger although it still trembled in her voice.

"Claire, incase you don't remember, he was the one taking drugs behind your back, and he stole your kid" Locke reminded, worried by her sudden concern for Charlie. He knew that her motherly instincts would be running strong if she saw someone she once cared about in danger. It would be easy for him to manipulate her in to thinking it was something else.

"Answer the question!" She instead violently, ignoring his words as the anger erupted inside her. Locke remained silent, so Desmond, recognizing her desperation, decided to cut in.

"Locke and I, we made a mistake" He began to explain, hoping that if he took on some of the guilt, Locke wouldn't be so reluctant to tell the story. "Desmond, don't" Locke insisted, not wanting this to go any further.

"We were trying to see what happened when we didn't push the button" Desmond continued, ignoring Locke's plead. "What button?" Claire questioned, having no clue what he was talking about. Desmond hesitated for a moment.

"She doesn't know about the button?" he questioned, shooting Locke a confused look.

"She doesn't know anything!" Locke confirmed insistently, his patents fading by the second.

"I know that Charlie is hurt, and I need to know what happened so we can help him. Other wise-" She choked, frustrated at the way the ignored her presence. She wanted to be blunt, but couldn't bare to think it let alone say it. The thought of her losing Charlie was far to painfully to face.

"There was an explosion" Echo's voice rose from the corner, coming out hoarse as he tried to speak. "They'd Locked me out of a room in the hatch, a room I desperately needed to get into" He continued, determined to help, despite Locke's ranting for him to stop talking, it would only make things worse.

"So Charlie helped me find the diatomite in the woods, and we took it into the hatch. We were going to try and blow the door open" He continued, a rusty cough escaping his lips. "But, the door was to strong for the blast.

So instead, the explosion filled the hall we were in. I hid behind a wall and Charlie tried to run, but he hit a dead end." Echo explained with another series of coughs.

"I don't know how he managed to survive it. But he woke me up and tried to help me out. Tried to save me. But I pushed him away, because I needed to stay. That's the last time I saw him" he finished, his voice shaking with guilt.

"Thank you" Claire replied softly, not sure to think of what she just heard. At least now she knew at least some of what had happened, which brought her closer to helping Charlie get better. She turned to walk out, but Locke grabbed her arm.

"He's not worth it, Claire. Your just upset. Let Bernard help him if you must, but you and Aaron need to stay as far away from him as possible" Locke insisted, holding her arm a bit tighter then he'd intended. Claire jerked her arm out of his grip, shooting him a look of disgust.

"Locke, in case you don't remember, you were wrong. Your in no position to tell her or anyone else what they can or can't do" Echo spoke simply, the wisdom returning to his voice. Locke sighed, knowing he was right, rather he wanted to admit it or not.

Claire took this as a good opportunity to leave, and before any of them could say another word, she headed back to her tent.

Rose had been looking over him and Aaron when she'd left, and now that she returned, Charlie was awake, appearing much more alert then he had last night.

A smile burst across Claire's face at the sight of him sitting up right, although he still looked a bit uncomfortable, looking down at Aaron in his crib, awake as well.

"Hey" Claire spoke softly, ducking under the opening of her tent and letting the flap fall back behind her. Charlie turned, a smile stretching across his face at the sight of her. Rose looked between the two, deciding it would be a good idea to leave them alone.

"I'm gonna go get you some more ice" She explained, pushing herself to her feet before heading out the door Claire had just entered. Claire knelt at his side, overjoyed at the sight of seeing him like this. Awake, alert, comprehending where he was. It was a sign of hope. That he was gonna be ok.

"How do you feel?" She questioned, brushing his messy hair away from his face. "My hearing's back to normal. And my headache isn't as bad" He explained, glad to see the relief in her face as he spoke, knowing that he was no longer causing her stress.

"Thats good" She replied, trying to keep her excitement inside, although it still managed to show in her eyes, sparkling brightly as she beamed at him, continuing to play with his hair long after she'd gotten it to lay back down. He looked downward shyly, scratching the back of his head. Aaron gurgled loudly in his crib, jabbering to get some attention.

"I think he's hungry" Charlie noted, reaching a hand into his crib and tickling his stomach playfully. Aaron squealed in response, his tiny feet kicking in amusement.

"Come here, big guy" Claire lifted the heavy child out of his crib along with his blanket, wrapping it around him and shifting so that he could rest in the curve of her arm, freeing the other hand so that she could lift up her shirt.

Charlie continued to watch her as if it were the most natural thing in the world. That is, until Claire took notice.

"Charlie!" She scolded, yanking her top back down when she realized he was watching.

"What?" He questioned, seeing nothing wrong in what he was doing.

"I can't believe it. You just woke up from a concussion and already your being a pervert" She noted with a sigh, shaking her head in disbelief. Charlie laughed, unable to deny it.

"Turn around" she insisted, playfully nudging his shoulder. Charlie turned, keeping his eyes on the wall of his tent as he giggled his crossed legs and tapped his fingers against his thighs, unable to sit still. Claire lifted her shirt once again and began to feed the baby, keeping an eye on Charlie to make sure he didn't try to sneak another look.

"So, what was that big commotion last night?" Charlie questioned, starting to feel a bit awkward in the silence.

"Locke, Desmond and Echo came back from the hatch" Claire explained, glancing back and forth from him to the baby, although all she could really see of him was the back of his head, his hair still a mess.

"Are they alright?" Charlie questioned, feeling bad for having forgotten about them. "Echo's pretty beat up, but he was conscious last time I talked to him" Claire explained, trying not to make him worry any more then she had too. "But the others are fine" She added, bringing in a bit of optimism.

"Good" Charlie replied, giving a sigh of relief. For all he knew, the hatch had blown and they were missing limbs. Aaron hand finished his feeding and Claire began to readjust her shirt, then after a moment, she realized she'd been wearing the same one for almost two days and decided that since it was already up, she might as well change.

She laid Aaron down in her lap and bulled the tank off over her head, tossing it towards the end of her matt.

"Hey Charlie" She spoke, knowing she couldn't get dressed while trying to hold Aaron.

"Yeah?" He replied, turning his head instinctively, a look of surprise when he saw Claire wearing nothing but a gray-blue bra and her jeans, holding Aaron in her arms.

"Would you mind holding him while I change?" She questioned casually, bouncing the bundle in her arms.

"Sure" Charlie replied, not passing up an opportunity to hold the baby in his arms, or the chance to watch Claire get dressed.

"Thanks" She replied appreciatively, and passed the bundle over, waiting until Charlie had him situated before she scooted over to the suitcase where she kept her clean cloths and began rummaging through the pile.

Charlie bounced Aaron in his arms, doing his best to ignore the urge he had to turn his head in Claire's direction as she began to change. Aaron giggled wildly at the attention he was getting, happy to have Charlie back in the picture.

"Done" Claire announced after a moment or so, picking up her dirty cloths from the floor and tossing them into a basket in the corner of her tent where another pile of cloths had built up.

She wore a dark brown, baby-doll style cami which probably once belonged to Shannon, along with a pair of denim kapris. It was much dressier then the stuff Claire normally wore, and Charlie wondered if this was her way of cheering him up. If it was, it was working.

She knelt back down beside him, leaning over his shoulder to look at Aaron, who was gurgling happily. Charlie smiled as he looked at her over his shoulder, her face only inches from his. Claire ran her hand over Aaron's head, smoothing his hair done, unaware that Charlie was staring at her.

But after a moment, she felt his eyes burning her skin, and turned her head so that they were eye to eye, her checks turning red as she watched the way he admired her, a loving gaze in his eyes.

"Claire.." He spook, his voice a little raspy. There was something in his eyes that she couldn't quite read. Nerves, innocent, love and sadness all blending together and swirling in dark, deep blue pools.

"Last night, I...I told you I loved you" he began, avoiding the urge to look down at his lap, which is what he usual would do when he was nervous.

"You didn't say it back" He added, trying to mask the pain that came out so clear in his voice. Claire felt an instant pain of guilt.

She didn't know how to respond. It was too soon to say it, she thought. To soon to dive in. She felt uncertain and afraid. She knew she cared for him, but love? If she was going to say it, she was going to mean it. She couldn't bring herself to do it. Not yet.

So instead, she leaned in, giving him a soft peck, nuzzling her nose against his. It was only a gentle touch against his lips, one that lingered long after she'd pulled away, although their faces remained only inches apart. Charlie felt his mouth tingling, longing to feel the sensation again.

Charlie knew it wasn't the response he was looking for, that he'd wanted to hear her say it. But he understood it was to soon, and although the rejection was painfully, he knew she had reasons to be cautious. She just needed more time. For Claire, he was willing to wait for ever.

So he settled for a kiss, a simple sign of affection. One so small that it barely seemed to have happened at all, but the feeling it left lingering behind, the warmth and care and the joy it brought, lasting much, much longer the act itself.

She might not love him just yet, but she did kiss him. He knew then that he didn't need to hear the words, because the feeling shined through in her kiss, and he knew that deep down inside, she felt it. She loved him. And for now, that was all he needed.


	6. Cudling

Alebelle: Glad you liked them! 

"Hello again, sister" A Scottish accent greeted as Claire walked the short distance from her's to Sawyer's. 

"Hi" She replied, flashing Desmond a friendly smile. 

"What brings you out of your tent?" He questioned curiously, leaning back against a tree. 

"I'm going to go see if I can find some medicine for Charlie" She explained, deciding that she might as well find out how Echo was doing while she was out. 

"Ah, that's right. The one with the concussion, yeah?" He questioned, still not knowing everyone by name. 

"Mh, hm" Claire nodded, glancing back at her tent. 

"How's he doing, then?" Desmond asked curiously, hand shoved in his pocket. 

"He's better. The head aches still there, and he can't really walk yet. But he's getting better" Claire confirmed, glad to be able to say it. 

"How's Echo doing?" 

"Oh, he's fine. Him and Locke headed back to that hatch before sunrise" Desmond explained, his voice still a bit slurred, probably due to the bottle dangling in his other hand. Claire nodded, assuming they probably had to clean up after the explosion. 

"How's the little one?" Desmond asked, a smile crossing his face when he mentioned the baby. 

"He's great. Charlie's in there playing with him right now" She explained, her smile winding at the thought. It was good to be able to talk about Charlie again. 

"I thought you said the father was gone" He noted, giving her a confused look. 

"Oh, he is. Charlie's not Aaron's father" Claire explained awkwardly, feeling a little bit guilty for putting it that way. "But you two are a couple right?" Desmond questioned curiously. Claire felt her cheeks go red. 

"Yeah. I guess we are" She replied with a nod, unable to keep her smile from spreading. 

"Then he's very lucky" Desmond noted, a hint of suggestion in his voice. Claire decided to take it as a complement and not as a pick up line, after all, this wasn't Sawyer she was talking to. He might be a bit drunk but other then that, Desmond seemed like a pretty decent guy. 

"Well, good luck with your medicine" He spoke abruptly, seeing that he was embarrassing her. "Let me know if you need any help" He offered additionally, trying to be polite. After all, the poor girl seemed like she'd been going through a lot, what with her boy friend passing out and all. 

"Thanks, I will" Claire assured, and with that she disappeared into Sawyer's tent in search of some aspirin. After removing the blanket Sawyer usually slept on and rummaging through the whole that Sawyer had dug in the ground for a few minutes, she located a clear box filled with a verity of orange bottles with thick white caps, containing all kinds of pill. Claire searched through to bottles, reading each name and only recognizing a few, before she finally found the aspirin she was looking for. 

She carried to bottle back to the spot where Charlie sat, just outside her tent in front of the little camp fire, which was usually shared by her, Jin, Sun, and some times Sawyer. But with all of them still missing, Charlie and Claire had it all to themselves. 

Bernard had supplied the dinner, bringing them each a plate. Charlie sat with a blanket around his shoulders, poking at a piece of stake on his plate with a fork, trying to get it to stick. Aaron laid in his crib near by. 

"Having some trouble?" Claire teased as she took a seat beside him. "A bit. You know, after one of these things tried to kill me, you'd think they'd at least cooperate!" Charlie noted sarcastically, finally managing to get the piece of stake on his fork. 

"A fork...tried to kill you?" Claire questioned with a laugh, giving him a curious look. "Magnets" He explained simply, his mouth full of stake. Claire laughed again, although she still didn't know what he was talking about. 

"Here" She offered, remembering that the bottle of aspirin was still in her hand. She twisted off the top, meaning to do it with a surprising lack of effort, and poured about four of the little white pills into the palm of her hand. 

Charlie held his hand out and she emptied them onto his palm, watching as he cupped his hand to his mouth and tossed them in before handing him a bottle of water. He swallowed them down, along with a big gulp of water, a bit spilling over his bottom lip so that its beads sparkled on his scruffy facial hair. 

Claire laughed and shook her head, taking the bottle so she could screw the top back on. She sat it and the bottle of aspirin down in the sand between them, lifting the her plate onto her lap and dug in. 

They at in silence for a while, exchange glances, making each other blush, then looking away shyly like a pair of toddlers flirting in the playground at recess. 

Once she was finished, Claire took their plates and sat them on a rock near by. It was dark out now, and the crackling fire before them didn't do much to ease the cold. Claire hugged herself, feeling a shiver run down her back as a breeze came by. 

"Are you cold?" Charlie questioned, watching as she rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms in an attempt to warm herself. 

"A little" She admitted, as if it wasn't obvious. 

"Come here" He instructed, laying his hand on her shoulder and guiding her so that she sat in front of him, in between his legs. Charlie scooted off the log he'd been siting on and sat behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and bringing the blanket around with them. 

Claire leaned back into him, feeling the warmth of his body as it pressed against her back. She rested her head against he shoulder, feeling his subtly beard scratch the side of her face. 

Once the blanket was around her, he lowered his arms and wrapped them around her waist, hugging her tightly from behind. Claire laid her arms over her his, gently running her fingers over his knuckles, toying with his hands. 

She felt him place a delicate kiss against her shoulder and leaned back into him, inviting the playfully attention. Charlie took the hit and continued, leading a trail kisses over her shoulder, moving to the curve of her neck, the warmth from his soft lips tingling her skin, and the chills she had in response were no longer from the cold air around them. 

He moved his path further up her neck, going low, taking his time. Savoring the taste of her skin. The longer it lasted, the tighter his arms got around her waist, as if to say he never wanted to let go. 

His mouth made it up to her ear, his lips wrapping around her ear lobe as he nibbled gently, hearing Claire laugh in response as his scruffy facial hair tickled against her neck. 

She turned her head side ways on his shoulder so that she could look up at him, staring into his eyes for a long while before she lifted her head slightly, just enough for her lips to meet with his in a faint, subtle kiss. 

Short and sweet, like a habit. Like it was something she'd do every day for the rest of her life. When she pulled away she could still feel the softness of his lips against hers as she snuggled against him, burying her head in the curve of his neck, her eyes lightly shut against her checks. 

Charlie stared down at her in aw, admiring the way the light from the fire hit her face, illuminating her soft, creamy skin in its radiant light. His hands moved up and down her body, tracing small circles where ever his fingers went. 

Running them over her stomach, her bare arms, across her chest, delicately moving across her skin, soothing her into a dream like state as he held her in his arms. 


	7. Congratulations

Alebelle: Glad you liked the chapter and have fun on your trip! Can't wait to hear some more reviews when you get back.

Congratulations

"Claire?" Charlie muttered as he sat up, worried when he didn't feel her at his side. But when he realized that she wasn't missing, that she was only a few feet away in the corner of her tent, putting the cloths she'd worn yesterday into the basket.

"Morning Charlie" she greeted, her face brightened up when she realized he was awake. "Morning" He replied, sighing in relief as he looked her over.

She was wearing the cloths she had slept in, a white tank top and a pair of black shorts. Her hair was down for once, her long blonde curls cascading down her back as she pushed down on the pile of cloths, trying to compress them in order to make more room.

"I'm doing laundry today" She explained, glancing at him over her shoulder. "Need anything cleaned?" She asked, already knowing the answer. If she knew Charlie, every thing he owned needed to be cleaned. "Just what I'm wearing" He replied with a shrug, just now realizing that he hadn't changed in about a week.

"Well, hand it over" She suggested playfully, putting the last of her things into the basket. Charlie fallowed her implication obediently and shifted into a kneeling position before lifting his shirt off over his head. Claire had turned just in time to see as his torso became bare.

The bright sun light through the open flap of her tent illuminated his skin, causing it to shine brilliantly his muscles rolled involuntarily, shifting with his movements as he stretched forward in order to grab hold of the fabric and bring it over his head.

Then striating up and lifting his arms high as he pulled it off the rest of the way. It almost felt as if her vision was going in slow motion, her stomach fluttering at the sight of her bare chest.

"Here" He muttered when the shirt was finally off, tossing it in her direction. Claire caught without taking her eyes off him, blushing when he caught her eyeing him. Charlie's grin widened as his eyes narrowed to his lap, feeling her eyes burn his bare skin even after he'd looked away.

"See something you like, luv?" He questioned playfully, glancing up at her out of the corner of his eyes. Claire's face light up bright red, as if someone had just turned on a tinted light bulb inside her skull.

"Maybe..." She replied innocently, folding his shirt in her lap before placing it into the basket.

"Well, I hope so, because your about to see a whole lot more" He explained as he laid back against the matt and began struggling with the belt.

He was to busy watching her expression to pay attention to what he was doing, and after a while the movements of his fingers as they fumbled over his belt seemed pointless.

"Need some help?" Claire questioned teasingly, raising an eye brow as she watched him stare down the length of his chest in confusion. Charlie's eye brows perked up at her suggestion, trying to decipher rather or not she was being serious.

Before he had time to figure it out, Claire scooted across their mats so that she sat at his side, biting her lower lip innocently as she began to unbuckle his belt.

Charlie propped himself up on his elbows, his heart starting to pound as he watched her unfasten his belt and pull it upward, causing the leather to glide through the loops of his jeans in one swift movement before she dropped it into her cloths basket.

She could see his stomach rise up and down with his breathing and could tell he was getting excited. Not wanting to tease him to much, she placed a hand on either side of his chest, hovering over him for a moment with a impish grin before she bent her head down and kissed him, letting her lips linger a bit longer then she'd planned, unable to pull herself away.

A smile crossed Charlie's lips as he returned the favor, moving his lips in harmony with hers, making it last as he lifted one of his arms, using the other for support. He let his free hand glide up her arm and make its way over her shoulder, sliding over the exposed area on her upper back. Claire had only planned for it to be a peck, but Charlie had taken charge, demanding more, and Claire was not about to argue with him.

There kiss broke with a gasp, both of them at a loss for air as she sat back up, a smile of achievement on her face. "Hurry up" She instructed, nudging his bare stomach flirtatiously. "I don't have all day"

It took Charlie a moment to comprehend what she was saying, his mind still lingering on the kiss she'd just given him.

"Oh" he muttered in realization, and quickly began to unbutton his pants. He managed to get the fly open with ease this time and kicked them off without missing a beat.

Claire picked them up and tossed them into her basket as well before rising to her feet, keeping her eyes on him as she stepped over his legs and ducked out the doo.

She contenuied to look back over her shoulder as she made her way to the place where her and Sun usually did their laundry. Charlie sat up, unable to conceal the gigantic grin across his face as he watched her walk away, leaning forward to get a better look.

"Morning, Claire" Sun greeted, her and Jin having reterned from their little adventure. Claire face turned red as she walked past, giving her a nod as a hello while trying to hide her embarrassment.

Sun hadn't noticed anything strange about the situation until Claire had walked past her tent, and she turned to see Charlie sitting in her door way, staring at Claire's vanishing form with nothing but a thin white sheet to cover his lower half.

A confused look crossed Suns face as she took notice to the man inside Claire's tent, the man who, last time she checked, hand been on Claire's shit list for some time.

"Good morning, Charlie" She greeted, a questioning tone in her voice as she spoke, a hint of suggestion in her smile.

"Morning" Charlie replied modestly, his face turning red as he looked down at his lap, unable to conceal the happiness he felt at once again being recognized as Claire's company.

Jin walked out of their tent, carrying a plate with two gray fish stretched across its surface. He sat the plate down in front of sun and took a seat beside her, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before his eyes wondered in the direction her's had been pointed in, curious to see what she was looking at.

His face shifted to confusion as he spotted a naked Charlie, sitting inside Claire's tent. He turned to Sun with the same look of bewilderment and asked her something in Korean, although Charlie could guess what he was saying. Sun glanced at Charlie for a moment, then turned back to her husband.

"I thought they were fighting?" Jin had questioned, his eye brows furrowed as he looked to his wife for some sign of clarity.

"I guess they made up" She replied with a shrug, trying not to laugh at the expression that came across Charlie's face.

"I'm gonna close the door now" He noted nervously, feeling a bit awkward having them stare and talk about him, especially since he didn't know what they were saying.

The pair just smiled in amusement as he leaned forward, holding the sheet on his lap in place as he struggled to remove the paper clip that was holding the flap to Claire's tent open.

"Congratulations" Jin spoke, in rather good English, his words surprising Charlie into looking up in astonishment.

Jin took this look as a sign of confusion and worried he said the word incorrectly, so to reiterate, he gave Charlie a thumbs up, a teasing grin across his face. Charlie nodded appreciatively before letting the flap drop, glad to finally have some privacy.


	8. Congrtatulations part 2

Ernil i Pheriannath: lol. I'll try not to.

Claire was busy humming the tune of 'here Comes The Sun' as she pinned one of her tanks to the cloths line. She knelt down and reached into the basket and pulled out the next article of clothing, pausing as Charlie's now clean white T-shirt with is distorted trees came into her hands.

Claire smiled, feeling the fabric between her fingers as she pushed herself back to her feet, admiring the shirt as if it was him she was holding.

"Hey, Claire" Sun greeted as she approached, holding her own cloths basket on her hip.

"Hey" Claire replied friendly, glancing over her shoulder for a moment as she pinned Charlie's shirt to the cloths line before returning to her blissful humming. Sun eyed her curiously as she sat her basket down in the sand, her mind racing with questions.

"So..." She began, picking up a random article of clothing as she straightened back up and pinned it to the line. "When did you and Charlie make up?" She asked curiously, raising an eye brow towards Claire as she placed the second cloths pin over the rope and clipped it to her shirt.

"The day you guys left" Claire explained, looking downward as the embarrassment hit her by surprise, her chicks turning a soft pink at the very mention of his name, let alone their 'making up'.

"Well, that night, actually" Claire added, laughing nervously at her mistake.

Sun's eye brow hiked up an inch further, surprise blending with her heightened curiosity, making it clear that she'd taken Claire's words in a much different since then she'd meant them.

"Oh, no! Not like that." Claire confirmed quickly, holding up her hands as if surrendering. Sun's expression melted into an amused smile.

"Well...what happened?" She asked persistently, leaning in as if Claire were to whisper the story secretively in there ear.

"Why don't I just put it in a note and pass it to your during class. Jeez" Claire noted playfully, finding Sun's giddy behavior quite humorous.

"Oh come on" Sun instead, practically bursting with curiosity. "Ok" Claire sighed, and finished pinning up the shirt she was working on so she could give Sun her full attention.

"He came back from the hatch all beat up because there was some kind of explosion" she began to explain, rolling her eyes as her voice took on that childish slur she sometimes got when talking to fast.

"So we were sitting by the camp fire, having one of the awkward silences. And I asked him what happened and he got all sarcastic and stupid, trying to tell me nothing happened when obviously something did happen because if nothing happened he wouldn't be bleeding" She continued on, her excitement causing her to babble. Sun nodded after every word, trying hard to keep up.

"So then thinking about the cut made me look at it, and it look like it really hurt. I felt kind of bad for him, you know? So I started comforting him, playing with his hair. And then..." Claire's words trailed off as her eyes tiled upward, leaning back against the tree behind her as she replayed the memory in her head.

"And then?" Sun questioned insistently, overwhelmed with impatience. But Claire, lost in her thoughts, continued to hesitate.

"And then, and then, and then, and then!" Sun repeated, bouncing up and down as she bubbled over in earnest. Claire couldn't help but laugh at Sun's desperate behavior.

"And then...I kissed him" Claire explained with an innocent shrug, unable to conceal the grin that burst onto her face at the statement. Sun squealed in response, throwing her arms around Claire and knocking her back a little.

"Sun...are you ok?" Claire questioned, eyeing her curiously as she tried to get free.

"Sorry" Sun replied as she released Claire, taking a deep breath to calm herself down.

"The pregnancy is making me...over react" She explained, now embarrassed by her own odd behavior.

"Don't worry, I know the feeling" Claire assured, reminding her that she'd once been pregnant as well.

"So, are you guys a couple now?" She asked curiously, picking up another hand full of cloths and tossing them over her shoulder, keeping only one in her hand as she rose back up and pinned it up.

"Yeah" Claire replied bashfully, her stomach fluttering once again.

"Aww" Sun teased, obnoxiously. Claire laughed, feeling the red start to spread from her cheeks to the rest of her body. "Shut up" Claire muttered shyly, rolling her eyes as if Sun's teasing was actually annoying her, when really it was just making the giddy feeling worse.

Sun laughed and went back to hanging up her cloths, as did Claire. And for a while they went without talking, Claire humming the sappy Beatles tune once again as she let her mind wonder, a smile permanently marked across her face.

"Uh, oh" A familiar souther twang erupted near by. Both Claire and Sun's head turned in unison, surprised to see Sawyer standing in front of his tent. "Someone's in love" he noted playfully as he leaned back against a near by tree.

"When did you guys get back?" Claire questioned curiously, ignoring his statement. "Few minutes ago" He replied with a shrug, as if escaping the others was an every day occurrence.

"Can you believe those guys were dumb enough to leave the three of us in a cave?" Sawyer questioned, speaking as if he were insulted.

"Seriously. Like we wouldn't find a way out. Like we'd just sit there" He continued, taking no notice to the fact that he was speaking to the two girls on the island who were both much more involved in pregnancy and child care then they were with any of the islands adventures.

"Maybe they wanted you to escape" Sun suggested as she unfolded one of Jin's shirts.

"Yeah" Claire agreed with a little shrug. "Maybe they just wanted you to think you got away. But they really just let you go" She explained, thinking it was a fairly inelegant statement.

"Now why the hell would they do that?" Sawyer questioned, staring at the two girls as if they'd lost their minds.

"To make you late for shit" Claire noted, unable to hold back a snicker. Sun joined in, and the two began giggling profusely.

"Are you two high?" Sawyer questioned, raising an eye brow at the tittering pair. His statement only made their laughter worse, and, sighing in defeat, he headed back to his tent.

Later...

After finishing hanging up the laundry and fetching the bag of Charlie's cloths from his old tent, Claire made her way back to her own, letting the heavy duffle bag drop to the sand as soon as she got in the door way.

The sound awoke Charlie from his nap, and he sat up abruptly, his eyes titling upward to look at Claire as he took a deep breath, calming himself back down.

"Something wrong, luv?" He questioned, taking her heavy panting and slamming of the bag as a sign of frustration. Oh god, what did I do?

"No. Other then the fact that you own more cloths the I do" She replied jokingly, still at a loss for breath as she crumbled at the end of his mat, draping her body over his, although their bodies weren't lied up, so her head ended up resting on his abdomen, sending a rather impure thought into Charlie's mind.

"You know the funny thing? I don't even like _wearing_ cloths" Charlie explained playfully, watching Claire's body shake as she laughed in response.

"Hmm. Must be a European thing" she noted playfully, tracing the out line of his belly button.

"Mmmm.." Charlie groaned in response, a sudden high flooding over him at the touch of her finger tips across his sensitive skin. Claire giggled impishly, amused by her ability to torture him.

"Oh!" Suddenly she sat up as the sudden memory popped into her head.

"Before I forget, the rest of the gangs back now, so I asked Jack to came and take a look at you after he got some rest" Claire explained, bouncing with energy.

"Well..." Charlie began, a suggestive tone in his voice as he pushed himself into a sitting position. He wrapped his arms around Claire's waist, pulling her onto his lap so that she was startling him, squeezing her tight so their stomachs pressed together, his close enough to hers that their noses bumped together.

"If he's going to come any time soon, he better knock" Charlie finished with a frisky tone, nuzzling his nose against hers before he placed a firm kiss on her lips. Claire snaked her arms around his neck, inviting him to continue.

Charlie obliged her request and tilting his head to the side, hungrily devouring her neck. A smile crossed Claire's face as his hands slid down her back, squeezing the back end of her little black shorts.

"Mmm, where'd this come from?" Claire questioned in a whisper that danced across his skin, referring to his sudden flirtatious energy.

"I'm not sure. Maybe from you sitting on me in nothing but your underwear" Charlie replied sarcastically, receiving a feeble slap to the chest in response.

"They're not underwear, they're shorts" Claire confirmed in self defense. Charlie gave her a skeptic look.

"Right, my mistake. Now take them off" He replied playfully, pulling her tightly once again. Claire threw her head forward with laughter, resting her forehead against his shoulder as her body shook in response, unable to keep stop her giggling.

Charlie kissed her shoulder, running his hands up and down her back, pulling at the hem of her shirt with a look of childish determination.

"Charlie!" Claire exclaimed, as if surprised by his behavior, giving him another playful smack.

"Sorry" Charlie replied, frowning obnoxiously. Claire giggled and leaned in, kissing him again.

"Uhh...should I come back later?" Jack questioned, appearing in the door way. Claire practically flew as she jumped off of Charlie's lap, holding the sheets up around her chest as if she were some how exposed.

Charlie stared at her for a moment before jerking them back into his position, reminding her that she was actually wearing cloths. Jack looked back and forth between the two in confusion as they took a moment to calm there nerves.

"Claire said there was a...explosion?" Jack questioned, turning his attention to Charlie and trying hard to ignore the fact that he was naked.

"Uh, yeah...about that. Would you mind waiting for a sec so I can't get dressed?" Charlie questioned, realizing that he was making the doc uncomfortable.

"Yes!" Jack replied, all to relieved.

"I mean, yes. Please do. I'll come back in a few minutes" Jack assured, and quickly headed out the tent. Charlie and Claire exchanged a glance, unable to keep from laughing at the look Jack had on his face.

"Hey Claire?" Charlie laid his head on her shoulder, tilting it upward so he could look at her.

"When the doc said he'd be back in a few minutes. How many minutes do you think he meant?" Charlie questioned, a suggestive hint in his voice as he toyed with a strand of her hair.

"Get dressed" Claire replied, nudging him playfully before pushing herself to her feet and stepping out of the tent so Charlie could get dressed and let Jack examine him without any distractions.


	9. Check Up

Ernil i Pheriannath: Thanks. I tried to throw some humor in there.

Meganfitz: Glad to know such a kick ass writer is reading my story, especially since you enjoyed it. I love how you pointed out quotes! I was tempted to do the same in my review for you, but there were just to many good quotes. Any way, I'm glad you liked it and I hope to hear more from you soon. Both in the form of stories and reveiws. Oh, P.S. I only almost pissed my pants. But thanks for offering to buy me a new pair.

Katherine Tripp: Oh man, I wish everything I wrote turned into a real episode. Especially with all the Charlie being shirtless. Mmmm.

Check Up

"Are you steel feeling dizzy?" Jack questioned, removing the tiny sewing kit from his bag. Charlie was sitting on a table in his tent, Claire stood behind him with her arms around his neck, holding onto his hand for support.

"A little. Moslty olny when I stand up or move" Charlie replied, sarcasticly. Jack chucled under his breath and removed a spool of black thread from his little box.

"How about headaches?" Jack questioned, glancing up at him for a moment as he tried to thread the needle. Charlie nodded.

"Claire gave me some aspirin yesterday but it hasn't done much" He explained, his eyes wide as they fixed on the needling in Jack's hand.

"Ok, Claire. Before we do this I want you to run to Sawyer's tent and see if you can get me these medicine" Jack explained, setting his needle work down so he could write a list on a scrap piece of paper.

"Morphine wouldn't happen to on there would it?" Charlie questioned playfully. "Charlie, I'm a bitsurprised that _you_, of all people, are afraid of needles" Jack noted teasingly. Charlie grimaced, annoyed by Jack's comment.

"Sorry." Jack replied, knowing he'd gone over the line a bit. He passed Claire the list and she gave Charlie a peck on the temple before skipping out of the tent, humming loudly.

"She seems like she's in a good mood" Jack noted, watching her casually make her way inside Sawyer's tent.

Charlie just grinned as he watched her disappear behind the flap of Sawyer's door as if she were going into her own tent. Sawyer glanced up as the flap of his tent swung open and Claire waltzed on in.

"Can I help you, princess?" He questioned sarcastically, glancing up from the book he was reading and removing his glances.

"Mh,hm. I need some medicine" She explained, a bright smile across her face. Sawyer eyed her curiously for a moment. How dare she have the nerve to just walk in here and expect him to hand it over?

"What kind?" he questioned, unable to express his annoyance properly with her grinning like a god damn idiot.

"Thanks" She replied appreciably, and took a seat in a near by plane chair that sat in the corner of his tent, waiting patiently and humming to herself as he lifted his mat and began rummaging through the pile.

Sawyer shot her a confused look as he lifted the container with the medicine, trying to figure out why she was in such a perky mood.

"Which one's do you need?" He questioned, confusion showing in his voice. Claire passed him the list, knowing full well she wouldn't be able to pronounce the names and even if she tried, the difference in their accents would probably just confuse the hell out of him. Sawyer took the list and examined it, furrowing his eye brows at the ridiculously long names.

"Jesus Christ. What is the doc doing to that poor kid?" He questioned, the names looking like something a surgeon would use when performing spinal surgery, not curing a headache.

"Well, Jack has to sew his arm and stomach up so I think one of them is there to help calm him down" Claire explained with a shrug, her feet waving back and forth over the edge of her seat like a little kids.

"What, the boy scared of needles?" Sawyer asked sarcastically, amused by his own little joke. "Actually, yeah" Claire replied honestly. Sawyer shot her a curious look.

"Oh man, I've gotta see this" He confirmed after a moment, chuckling at the idea of watching Charlie freak out over a little sewing needle after he'd spent his time shooting up for the past couple years.

"Why don't we just give him some heroine?" He suggested, laughing at himself once again. Claire's bright expression dropped at the remark, but Sawyer, as usual, didn't really care.

"Hey, Where is all the heroine any way?" He questioned, furrowing his eye brows as he looked into the whole in the ground, noticing that all the virgin marry statue's were missing.

"Its not here?" Claire questioned, a look of confusion crossing her face. "Nope." Sawyer replied, double checking to be sure. "You might wanna have a little talk with your boy toy about that" Sawyer noted, automatically accusing Charlie of the deed.

"Charlie's not doing drugs" Claire confirmed, rolling her eyes. And to think, just a few weeks ago Sawyer had said the same thing to her.

"If you say so. But I can't think of anyone else who would be stealing heroine" Sawyer noted, rolling his eyes back as he continued his search for Claire's medicine.

"He threw it away" Locke's voice erupted from Sawyer's door way. "Huh?" Sawyer questioned, raising an eye brow towards the old man.

"Before the funeral, I was sitting on the beach. Charlie carried all the statues out from your tent and chucked them into the ocean" Locke explained, a proud look upon his face.

"Told ya" Claire replied in a childish, 'know-it-all' kind of way. Sawyer rolled his eyes and continued his search. Claire began humming again as she looked around Sawyer's tent aimlessly.

Locke shot her a curious look, then back to Sawyer for some sort of explanation. Sawyer shrugged and continued looking.

"Here" He muttered after a moment, tossing Claire a hand full of bottles. "Thank you" Claire replied appreciatively, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a 'thank you' hug.

Sawyer shoot her a look out of his eye. "You want some condoms while your at it?" Sawyer questioned, thinking he'd found the source of her pleasure.

Claire shook her head, in to much of a good mood to get offended by his crude remarks. He walked with Claire back to Jack's tent where he and Charlie waited patiently, Jack tending to Charlie's smaller wounds with a cotton ball and some alcohol.

"What's he doing here?" Charlie questioned with a look of disgust as Sawyer fallowed Claire into the tent. "Nice to see you too, sunshine" Sawyer muttered sarcastically, pinching Charlie's check. Charlie pulled away, grimacing in annoyance. Claire handed Jack the meds and he poured the proper amount of pills into his hand, handing them over to Charlie so he could swallow them.

"You ready?" He questioned, once Charlie had finished taking a sip of water to wash them down. Claire took up her position behind him and held onto his hand. Charlie nodded in response, and Jack picked up the needle. Sawyer chuckled from his corner as he watched Charlie squeeze his eyes shut, holding tightly to Claire's hand.

Jack slid the needle through his skin and Charlie sucked in a breath, relaxing a little once he realized it wasn't as bad as he'd expected. Claire kissed the top of his head, helping him calm down all the more. Jack managed to finish up both cuts with only a minimum of flinching on Charlie's part, and after putting his shirt back on, Charlie was free to go.


	10. Clear

Meganfitz: Yeah, I thought it was about time Claire got some proof so that she could ger rid of any little doubt about Charlie telling the the truth. It kind of gives them a clean slate. I really like putting Sawyer and Claire together for some reason, probably becaise they'er exact oposites. I wish I could see the dance! And I'd also love to see Sawyer pantamoing the "alarming trend".

TheLovelyNatalieRose: lol. I know, my stories get a little to fluffy somtimes, which is why I tried to throw in some comedy with the other cast aways like Sawyer and Sun to help even it out a bit. I wish I could have found some way to throw a topless Sawyer in here for you, but its just Claire and Charlie. I'll do my best to have him naked in my next story as much as posible.

Clear

Later that night, Charlie and Claire sat in their tent. The medicine had made Charlie's headache and his dizziness go away, all that was left now were a few aches and pains, which Claire was working on. Charlie arched his back as her hands worked his bare shoulders, his skin glowing in the light of a near bye candle.

"Your amazing" He mummered softly, a dazed grin across his face as he felt his muscles relax. "I know" Claire replied with a giggled, putting a little more pressure behind her hand movements.

"No really, your..your extraordinary" He continued, leaning forward as her hands began to work their way down.

"Magnificent. A goddess, a muse, a inspiration" He babbled on, the series of compliments rolling off his tongue. "And inspiration for what?" Claire questioned, a suggestive hint in her voice.

"Your better then Jesus" Charlie confirmed, ignoring her comment and letting out a sigh as her hands pressed against the small of his back, skillfully untying the knots that had formed there from being thrown around the hatch. Claire smiled in response to her raise, placing a soft kiss on his shoulder as a thank you.

"Lay down" She instructed, whispering in his ear, her breath tingling against his skin. It was a warm night and the humidity filled her tent, causing sweat beads to form on their skin. Charlie leaned forward, crossing his arms under the pillow before him so Claire could have better access to the muscles in his back.

"I can't thank you enough for letting me back. For taking care of me." He continued, feeling as if he was almost talking to himself. Claire looked up curiously, wondering where the sudden need for praise had come from.

"I know you can't admit it yet, but I've known it all along. I love you so much" He explained, a sober seriousness in his words as he spoke, his eyes clear and defiant, the words flooding from his lips and crashing against her ears like a great big tsunami.

"You and Aaron, your the closet thing I've ever had to a real family. I can't even explain the feeling I get when I'm holding him or when I'm any where near you" He sounded almost upset, and Claire couldn't tell by the sound of his voice if he was actually sad about something, or if he was simply overjoyed.

"Charlie" she spoke softly, sliding off him and tilting her head to the side as she lifted his chin so that he was facing her, surprised to see tears in his eyes.

"I never thought that a person like you actually could exist. Your a miracle, Claire. You've saved my life in more ways that I can count. Your my bloody redemption" He explained, holding her hand tightly in his as he rolled onto his back, staring up at her.

Claire looked down for a moment, overwhelmed by what he was saying. His words echoed in her ears, filling her body until every inch of her was packed with a sense of love, one stronger then she ever thought conceivable.

"Charlie" She whispered, placing her hand against his cheek as she leaned forward, inches away from his face. "I love you" her words spilled over her lips and onto his, the taste of her sweet breath along with the sound of her angelic voice filling his ears making his heart stop for a split second.

The kiss he gave her then was more then a simple sign of affection. It was more then a habit. More then an apology. More then a mind blowing high. It was past any intoxication or sensation he'd ever experienced.

It was a kiss that made the world stop spinning, pausing in aw as mouth curved against hers, fitting perfectly as if their lips were pieces of a puzzle that finally were able to form an image. An image so beautiful it would make angles weep and the devil join rehab.

This was a kiss to end all kisses, to end all wars, starvation, death. A kiss that was capable of achieving world peace. A kiss capable of doing anything. This was the kiss they spoke about in books, the kind you saw in the movies.

The kind no one believed existed. But it was real as the sweat on their skin, the tears in their eyes or the hair on his face.

There was no point to analyze it. To search for some hidden meaning. There was no secret code, no reading between the lines. There was no need to explain it, because for once in their lives, everything, everything was clear.

The End

Alright everyone, thats the end of this one. I hope you all enjoyed it. I know I sure did. I'll already working on another fic, and knowing it me it may very well be up later today, so keep an eye out. I love you all! Thanks for reading!


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